Utilities

Utility companies provide essential services like electricity, water, heat, gas, etc. thus becoming a major target for nation-state actors. However, if a utility company is compromised by an attack, the result can be disastrous. The attacks on municipal utilities have doubled in the last year. Attackers have increased the bandwidth and speed of the attacks thus making them much more effective. Many utility companies are unprepared for the attacks. Attackers are wanting much more than sensitive information as now many of the attacks are focusing on operational systems in order to disrupt essential services. As government agencies, the military, large companies, and banks have been strengthening their cybersecurity, attackers are looking for easier targets not yet prepared for cyberattacks. Local municipal utilities have tight budgets that make cyber security low on the list as well as having little or no training on cybersecurity practices. Utility companies are subject to many different modes of attacks including Denial of Service, Ransomware, Malware, and Phishing.